Richard Wagner - Conductor, Composer - Biography.com Richard Wagner Richard Wagner is best known for creating several complex operas, including Tristan and Isolde and Ring Cycle, as well as for his anti-semitic writings. IN THESE GROUPS Richard Wagner - Mini Biography (TV-14; 3:50) Richard Wagner wrote his first opera, "The Fairies," at the age of 21. He used all elements of theater, from music to lighting, to create "total art work." Synopsis Born in Germany on May 22, 1813, Richard Wagner went on to become one of the world's most influential—and controversial—composers. He is famous for both his epic operas, including the four-part, 18-hour Ring Cycle, as well as for his anti-semitic writings, which, posthumously, made him a favorite of Adolf Hitler. There is evidence that Wagner's music was played at the Dachau concentration camp to "re-educate" the prisoners. Wagner had a tumultuous love life, which involved several scandalous affairs. He died of a heart attack in Venice on February 13, 1883.

Early Life Wilhelm Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813, in Leipzig, Germany, and went on to become one of the world's most influential—and controversial—composers. Richard Wagner was famous for both his complex operas, such as the four-part, 18-hour Ring Cycle, as well as for his anti-semitic writings, which, posthumously, made him a favorite of Adolf Hitler. There is evidence that Wagner's music was played at the Dachau concentration camp to "re-educate" the prisoners. Wagner's parentage is uncertain: He is either the son of police actuary Friedrich Wagner, who died soon after Richard was born, or the son of the man he called his stepfather, the painter, actor and poet Ludwig Geyer (whom his mother married in August 1814). As a young boy, Wagner attended school in Dresden, Germany. He did not show aptitude in music and, in fact, his teacher said he would "torture the piano in a most abominable fashion." But he was ambitious from a young age. When he was 11 years old, he wrote his first drama.

By age 16, he was writing musical compositions. Young Wagner was so confident that some people considered him conceited. The New York Times would later write in its obituary of the famous composer, "In the face of mortifying failures and discouragements, he apparently never lost confidence in himself." Acclaimed Works Wagner attended Leipzig University in 1831, and his first symphony was performed in 1833. He was inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven and, in particular, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, which Wagner called "that mystic source of my highest ecstasies." The following year, in 1834, Wagner joined the Würzburg Theater as chorus master, and wrote the text and music of his first opera, Die Feen (The Fairies), which was not staged. In 1836, Wagner married the singer and actress Minna Planer. The couple soon moved to Königsberg, where Wagner took the position of musical director at the Magdeburg Theatre. There, also in 1836, Das Liebesverbot was produced, with Wagner writing both the lyrics and the music.

He called his concept "Gesamtunkstwerk" (total work of art)—a method, which he frequently used, of weaving German myths with larger themes about love and redemption. After moving to Riga, Russia, in 1837, Wagner became the first musical director of the theater and began work on his next opera, Rienzi. Before finishing Rienzi, Wagner and Minna left Riga, fleeing creditors, in 1839. They hopped on a ship to London and then made their way to Paris, where Wagner was forced to take whatever work he could find, including writing vaudeville music for small theaters. Wagner was part of the quasi-revolutionary "Young Germany" movement, and his leftist politics were reflected in Rienzi; unable to produce Rienzi in Paris, he sent the score to the Court Theatre in Dresden, Germany, where it was accepted. In 1842, Wagner's Rienzi, a political opera set in imperial Rome, premiered in Dresden to great acclaim. The following year, The Flying Dutchman was produced to critical acclaim.

Considered a great talent by this time, Wagner was given the Prussian order of the Red Eagle and appointed director of the Dresden Opera. In 1845, Wagner completed Tannhäuser and began working on Lohengrin. In 1848, while preparing for a production of Lohengrin in Dresden, the revolutionary outbreak in Saxony occurred and Wagner, who had always been politically vocal, fled to Zurich. Unable to enter Germany for the next 11 years due to his political stances, Wagner wrote the notoriously anti-semitic Jewishness in Music, as well as other criticisms against Jews, composers, conductors, authors and critics. He also wrote Opera and Drama and began developing what would become his famous Ring Cycle, which consisted of four separate operas tied together by leitmotifs, or recurring musical themes which link plot elements. The Ring Cycle was ahead of its time in that it combined literature, visual elements and music in a way that would anticipate the future of film. Film composers, including John Williams, were inspired by Wagner's use of leitmotifs. His work would later influence modern film scores, including those of the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings film series.

After meeting and falling in love with Mathilde Wesendonck, the wife of Otto Wesendonck, Wagner was inspired to write Tristan and Isolde. His interest in Wesendonck, coupled with other events in his life, eventually led to his separation with his wife, Minna. In 1862, Wagner was finally able to return to Germany. King Ludwig II, a fan of Wagner's work, invited Wagner to settle in Bavaria, near Munich, and supported him financially. Wagner didn't stay long in Bavaria, once it was discovered that he was having an affair with Cosima, the wife of the conductor Hans van Bülow, and Franz Liszt's illegitimate daughter. Bülow, who apparently condoned the affair, directed Tristan and Isolde in 1865. Wagner and Cosima had two children together before finally marrying in 1870. The first two operas of The Ring Cycle, Das Rheingold and Die Walküre, were presented in Munich in 1869 and 1870. The Ring Cycle was finally performed in its entirely—all 18 hours—in 1876.

Wagner completed his last opera, Parsifal, in January 1882, and it was performed at the Bayreuth Festival that same year. Death and Legacy Wagner died of a heart attack on February 13, 1883, at age 69, while vacationing in Venice, Italy for the winter. His body was shipped by gondola and train back to Bayreuth, where he was buried. In the 20th century, Adolf Hitler was a fan of Wagner's music and writings, only making Wagner's legacy more controversial. New York Times writer Anthony Tommasini wrote of Wagner in 2005: "How did such sublime music come from such a warped man? Maybe art really does have the power to ferret out the best in us." Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us ! Citation Information Top 5 Classical Father & Son Composers | Contrapuntist by Viola da Voce Top 5 Classical Father & Son Composers I thought I’d celebrate Father’s Day by sharing some interesting factoids about classical composers and their sons.

Did you know that Richard Wagner had a son named Siegfried who also composed operas? That Johan Strauss Jr. created his own orchestra to compete with the famous one conducted by his father? Or that Johann Christian Bach took music lessons with his father Johann Sebastian Bach and his big brother Carl Philipp Emanuel? To check out these tidbits and more, please enjoy my list of the top five classical father and son composers. 5. Alessandro & Domenico Scarlatti Italian composer Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725), is best known for his operas and religious works. Most notably, he established the Italian overture three-section form of allegro-adagio-allegro, which was a precursor to the classical Symphony. Alessandro wrote operas for Queen Christina of Sweden and Prince Ferdinando III de’ Medici. He was also the maestro di cappella to Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni in Rome and held a similar post at Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. While in Rome, he composed what many consider to be his finest work, Il Mitridate Eupatore.

Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757),Alessandro’s son, is renowned for his 555 sonatas. About 10 are for violin and continuo, three are for organ, and the rest are for harpsichord. Domenico’s sonatas required virtuosic hand crossing, unconventional voice leading, and unusual modulations. He worked in positions including musical director and composer to the exiled queen of Poland who lived in Rome, musical director of the Julian Chapel at St. Peter’s, and served as musical director to King John V of Portugal in Lisbon. In 1728, Domenico’s student Maria Barbara married the Spanish Crown Prince Ferdinand VI. Domenico followed the royal duo to live out the remainder of his years in Spain. 4. Richard & Siegfried Wagner German composer Richard Wagner (1813-1883) is renowned for his epic operas including the four-part 18-hour Ring Cycle, and notorious for his anti-Semitic writings.

Although he showed no aptitude for music during his early years at school in Dresden, the ambitious young Richard wrote his first drama at age 11 and his first musical piece at age 16. In 1834, Richard became the chorus master of the Wurzburg Theater in Leipzig and wrote his first opera, Die Feen (The Fairies), which was not staged. Two years later, in 1836, Wagner married the singer and actress Minna Planer. They moved to Konigsberg, where Wagner worked as music director at the Magdeburg Theatre. Wagner and his wife moved to Riga, Russia in 1837 one year later to serve as the theater’s first musical director. In 1839, the couple left for Paris, France. Success was elusive in Paris, however. Wagner returned to Germany and settled in Dresden in 1842, where he was in charge of music for the court chapel. During these years, his opera Tannhäuser, found a successful premiere. He also began plans for the Ring Cycle and prepared the scenario for Die Götterdämmerung.

Wagner fled from Dresden in 1849 in the aftermath of the revolution. He remained in Switzerland over the next 15 years without steady employment, banished from Germany and prohibited from participating in German theatrical life. He worked extensively on the Ring during this time period. Wagner finally received permission to reenter Germany in 1860 and was granted full amnesty in 1862. His Ring cycle was performed for the first time at the Festspielhaus at Bayreuth in 1876, over thirty years after he had first conceived the concept. Siegfried Wagner (1869-1930) received his earliest musical training from his grandfather, Franz Liszt. Following Richard Wagner’s death in 1883, he studied with his father’s student, Engelbert Humperdinck in Frankfurt. Siegfried stepped away from music for two years to study architecture. However, in 1892, he returned to music and worked for four years at Bayreuth (the music festival founded by his father) with conductor Hans Richter.

He conducted part of the Ring cycle at the 1896 Bayreuth Festival, staged The Flying Dutchman in 1901, and finally took charge of the festival in 1906. Siegfried composed his first published work, the opera Der Barenhauter, in 1898. He premiered his composition to great acclaim in Munich the following year but was unable to repeat his success with any of his subsequent operas. 3. Leopold & Wolfgang Mozart Johannn Georg Leopold Mozart (1719-1787) was an Austrian violinist, teacher, and composer. He is best known, however, as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s father. A violinist at the court of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, Leopold rose through the orchestra’s ranks to become court composer in 1757 and vice chapelmaster in 1762. His works include concerti for various instruments, symphonies, and other works. Of his seven children, only two survived – Maria Anna (Nannerl), a talented clavierist and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Leopold took his talented children to perform on concert tours all across Central and Western Europe between1762-1769. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) lived only to the age of 35, but he is one of the most renowned classical musicians of all time. At the age of three, Wolfgang enjoyed observing his sister Nannerl’s keyboard lessons with their father Leopold and began to copy her playing. Leopold quickly took notice and began to teach his young son as well. The young boy began to compose at age 5 and also demonstrated skills on the clarinet and the violin. Wolfgang and Nannerl gained fame during their on concert tours across Europe with their father; at age 7, Wolfgang performed for Louis XV in Versailles and played with young Marie Antoinette. In 1777, Wolfgang was appointed concertmaster at the Salzburg court orchestra and wrote his first major opera, Mitrades. He set off on another tour later that year, and when he returned, he accepted a position as court organist. However, he didn’t enjoy his new job.

He eventually resigned in 1781 and moved to Vienna, much to the displeasure of his father. Wolfgang achieved success in his new adopted city by 1786 with operas including The Abduction from the Seraglio and The Marriage of Figaro. After this point, he began to lose income and had to take loans to support his finances. During 1791, the final year of his life, he composed what many consider to be his finest works including Symphonies No. 39, 40, and 41, the opera The Magic Flute, and the unfinished Requiem Mass in D minor. 2. Johann Strauss I (Sr.), Johann Strauss II (Jr.), Josef Strauss, Eduard Strauss I, & Johann Strauss III Johann Strauss I (Sr.) (1804-1849) is considered to be “The Father of the Waltz”. A self-taught violinist who played in dance orchestras, Strauss Sr. formed his own ensemble in 1824. He composed waltzes, polkas, and other dances for his orchestra. In addition, Strauss Sr.

wrote marches for the local army regiment including his best-known work, the Radetzsky March. Johann Strauss II (Jr.) (1825-1899) is considered to be the “King of the Waltz” and the most renowned member of the Strauss family. Strauss Jr.’s prodigious output includes over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, marches, mazurkas, and gallops; 18 operettas, and one ballet. His best-known works include the Blue Danube Waltz, Tales from the Vienna Woods, and Die Fledermaus. Following a long line of sons who like to challenge their fathers, Strauss Jr. formed his own small orchestra at the age of 19 in competition to his father’s renowned group. He eventually merged the two ensembles after his father’s death. Josef Strauss (1827-1870) was Johannn Sr.’s second son and began his career as an architectural draughtsman. In 1853, when Johannn Jr. had to take a hiatus from conducting his orchestra due to a nervous breakdown, Josef stepped in to keep the ensemble running.

After Johannn Jr. recovered, the family persuaded Josef to join in the family business of conducting and composing. He wrote over 300 dances and marches and created over 500 arrangements of other composers’ works. Eduard Strauss I (1835-1916) was Johannn Sr.’s youngest son. He joined the family’s orchestra as a harpist and eventually joined his brothers as a conductor. After Josef’s death, he managed the orchestra until finally disbanding in 1901. Eduard wrote over 320 dances and marches. Johannn Strauss III (1866-1939) was Eduard’s son. He was a conductor and composer, although he was not as prolific or successful as his father and uncles. Johannn III conducted the Strauss Orchestra and the first recordings of his family’s works. 1. Johann Sebastian Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, and Johann Christian Bach German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is considered one of the greatest Western composers of all time.

His best-known works include the Brandenburg Concertos, the Well Tempered Clavier, and the Mass in B Minor. The descendent of a long line of musicians, Bach drafted a genealogy Origin of the Music Bach Family in which he traced his ancestry back to his great-great-grandfather Veit Bach, a Lutheran baker and musician who was driven out of Hungary to the town of Thuringia in Germany. Johann’s first formal keyboard lessons were with his older brother Johann Christoph, the town organist who had studied with the influential keyboard composer Johann Pachelbel. Bach’s positions included court organist and concertmaster for Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Weimer (1708-1717), music director for the Prince Leopold of Cuthen (1717-1723), and finally cantor at the St. Thomas Church and School as well as Director of Music for Leipzig. He retained these final two positions for the rest of his career. During his lifetime, Bach was known more as an organist then a composer. Hardly any of his works were published during his lifetime.

German composer Felix Mendelssohn brought Bach’s music to prominence in 1829 by reintroducing the Passion According to St. Matthew. In terms of his personal life, Bach married his cousin Maria Barbara Bach in 1706. The couple had seven children together, some of whom died in their infancy. Maria died in 1720, and the following year, Bach married the singer Anna Magdalena Wulken. Together, they had 13 children, more than half of whom died at a young age. Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (1710-1784) was the eldest son of Johann Sebastian and his first wife, Maria Barbara. Wilhelm played both the keyboard and violin. He became organist at a church in Dresden in 1733, and in 1746, he moved to Halle. His compositions include cantatas, chamber works, keyboard pieces, and an opera. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (1714-1788) was Johannn Sebastian and Maria Barbara’s second child.

Although he studied law, he became harpsichordist of Frederick II of Prussia in 1740 and in 1767, music director in Hamburg. In addition to writing chamber music, concerti, and religious pieces Carl Philipp published the Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments. This text was used by composers including Mozart and Beethoven. Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach (1732-1795) was Johann Sebastian’s ninth son. He is known as the “Buckeburg Bach” since he served at the court there from 1750-1795. Johann Christian received his first music lessons from his father at the St. Thomas school and also served as his father’s copyist from 1743-1749. He worked as a harpsichordist in the chamber orchestra at the Buckeburg court under Count Wilhelm of Schaumberg-Lippe and was eventually appointed concertmaster. Johann Christian’s works include keyboard sonatas, symphonies, liturgical choir pieces, and offers.

Johann Christian Bach (1735-1782), also known as the “English Bach”, was the youngest son of Johann Sebastian and his second wife, Anna Magdalena. He first took music lessons with his father, and after his father’s death, worked with Carl Philipp Emanuel. Johann Christian became an organist at a cathedral in Milan as well as music master for Queen Charlotte. He composed cantatas, chamber music, keyboard and orchestral works, and operas. Related articles Richard Wagner’s 200th birthday passes with little notice in the U.S. (pri.org) Domenico Scarlatti (thegeis.wordpress.com) Famous Composers - The Method Behind the Music The Method Behind The Music Baroque George Fredric Handel b.1685, d.1759 Born the son of a barber, Handel ditched a career in law to pursue his love of music. Skilled at the organ, he wrote several church pieces before being picked up by Prince Ernst of Hanover as a court musician. Later Handel went to London, where his Italian-style operas were all the rage.

But soon after, the fires for opera died down and Handel was looking like a has-been. To redeem himself he wrote the religious classic "Messiah" in 1741. Antonio Vivaldi b. 1676 d.1741 Vivaldi's history is not well known. He was ordained as a priest and wrote many, many, many pieces for the Church (about 640 pieces all together). He taught music at several schools at the time. But as his popularity declined, he lost contacts and support, and at the time of his death he was a poor man. Johann Sebastian Bach b.1685 d.1750 Bach came from a long line of musicians, although he was the first to become famous outside of his hometown of Eisenach. An incredibly gifted organist, Bach got a job as a cantor in 1722. He wrote new pieces for the organ for each service, destroying the used ones. Countless Bach compositions have been lost because he saw them as nothing but scrap. His work was very unique, and his use of intertwining melodies and the fugue are trademarks of his genius.

Classical Joseph Haydn b.1732 d. 1809 Haydn was the hub of the Classical style. He entered the world of music through his wonderful singing voice as a child. His voice was so good that he was almost castrated to maintain his young voice. But his voice did break and his singing career ended. Haydn moved then into composing music. When Haydn moved to Vienna in 1790 he effectively made Vienna the nexus of the Classical music style. There he taught and mentored young composers such as Mozart and Beethoven. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart b.1756 d. 1791 Mozart was the prince of Classical music. Movies, plays, musicals, and countless books have been written in honor of him. He was the prodigy to end all prodigies. He wrote his first symphony when he was 5. He toured Europe as a novelty act with his father and sister. But when he grew up that novelty was gone. Luckily his natural skill with music carried him. A student of Haydn, Mozart blossomed into a top notch opera writer, which was his bread and butter for many years.

But a man doesn't live by bread and butter alone: his later teaching carrier was not sufficient to support him, and he died a poor man. Ludwig Von Beethoven b. 1770 d.1827 He was another child prodigy, but not nearly as talented as Mozart as a child. At the age of 14 he was appointed as an assistant teacher and the organist at Hanover. He received tutoring from both Haydn and Mozart. When he was 19 he was faced with supporting his entire family after his mother's death. A disturbed, angry person himself, Beethoven's music was fiery, and emotional. He is credited with bridging the gap between Classical and Romantic style music. Franz Schubert b. 1797 d.1828 Born into a family of strong musical leanings, Franz was keen to pick up music as a profession. He was proficient with the keyboard and violin. Primarily a teacher, Schubert was a lifelong resident of Vienna, the hotbed of Classical style music. Schubert's music is especially notable for it's infectious melodies which rival Mozart for their Classical beauty.

Felix Mendelssohn b.1809 d.1847 Coming from a rich and musically talented family, Mendelssohn started his music career very early. His pieces were very popular at the time of their writing. His Piano Concerto in G minor was its day's "And My Heart Will Go On;" it is considered the most played concerto ever written. In addition to his popularity during his time, his music for the play "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is still played today in weddings after the bride and groom kiss. Finally, Mendelssohn is credited with bringing back Bach. His performances of Bach's pieces restarted interest in the Baroque composer's work. Johannes Brahms b. 1833 d. 1897 Brahms started his career in the oddest of places: bars and brothels. These jobs fueled him with a knowledge of dance tunes and party music. When he outgrew the bar circuits and began serious composing he was heralded as a genius. He was different in that he lived during the Romantic age, but wrote obviously Classical music. Romantic Carl Maria von Weber b.1786 d.

1826 Although his works are in many cases operas, von Weber wrote some of the most romantic music ever written. Again, he came from a musical family and started his career at a very early age. His greatest contribution to music was the standard arrangement of an orchestra. His grouping of similar instruments at different locations is a method still used today in our modern orchestras. Frederic Chopin b.1810 d.1849 Chopin was another artist that knew from the get-go that he would be a composer. From the age of 13 Chopin studied music abroad. His greatest talent was with the piano, which he excelled at. His pieces for the piano were groundbreaking, pushing the limits of what a piano was thought to be capable of. He completely changed how the piano was treated in music. Franz Lizt b. 1811 d. 1886 Franz Liszt was undoubtedly one of the most talented pianists the world has ever seen. He had been playing in concerts since the age of nine. When his family moved to Vienna, Liszt had an opportunity to meet Beethoven and Schubert; this undoubtedly altered his style of composing.

In his time Liszt was a master showman. His shows were almost always sold out. He was so grandiose with his concerts that he ordered a second piano be on stage in case he were to break the first one while playing. Richard Wagner b.1813 d.1883 Wagner, the man, was not a desirable person. Racist, sexist, and violently anti-Semitic (even though Wagner himself was born into a Jewish family), he was not a very nice guy. But his music was inspired. His opera music is some of the most beautiful ever written. Richard Strauss b. 1864 d. 1949 Richard was born the son of a horn player in Munich. He was trained at the piano and began writing pieces of music called "programs" which were pieces that told stories. His most famous work is probably "Also Sprach Zarathustra" used in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey." Nationalistic Antonin Dvorak b.1841 d.1904 Son of a zither-playing butcher, Antonin supported his education in Prague by playing the organ at a mental hospital.

He played a violin for the National Theater of Prague from 1862 to 1872, then he left to take more time to compose. Later, he became the head of the National Conservatory in New York. His music is heavily influenced by the folk songs of his Bavarian youth. Jan Sibelius b.1865 d. 1957 Jan was born in Finland during the Russian occupation. He wrote stunning, beautiful music in honor of his homeland. His piece "Finlandia" was the anthem for the Finnish revolution. When the Russians withdrew from Finland in 1918 Jan was made a national hero. Mikhail Glinka b.1804 d. 1857 Glinka, son of an upper-middle class family in Russia earned the title "Father of Russian Music." With little formal training, Glinka wrote many pieces that absolutely drip the essence of folk songs of the Russian peasants. His music served as an example for most every Russian composer that came after him. Peter Tchaikovsky b.1840 d. 1893 Tchaikovsky was born the son of a mining engineer and learned the piano at an early age.

But he did not choose music as his vocation. He studied and became a lawyer. But, shortly thereafter, he quit the practice and went to write music. His music was powerful and infused with folk elements much in the same way Glinka's pieces were. A troubled person, Tchaikovsky tried to commit suicide in 1877. It was 11 years later that Tchaikovsky wrote his finest pieces before dying of cholera in 1893. Sergei Rachmaninoff b. 1873 d. 1943 Sergei was the epitome of the Russian patriotic composer. Coming from a well-off family, "Rocky" studied at the St. Petersburg conservatory, and his instructor, Tchaikovsky, gave him the highest grade possible. Sergei battled lifelong depression, made worse by his bouts of writer's block. He alleviated his block with hypnotism and dedicated his 2nd Piano Concerto to his hypnotist. In the movie "Shine" it is Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #3 that makes David Helfgott wig out. And One American Aaron Copland b.1900 d.

1990 Born in Brooklyn, to Russian immigrant parents, Aaron brought Russian ultra-patriotism to American music. Infusing western and jazz elements Copland wrote pieces that tell of American folklore. He was immensely popular, even when it was found that he had ties to the Communists. His "Appalachian Spring" won a Pulitzer Prize. Franz Liszt - Biography - IMDb Franz Liszt Jump to: Overview (4) | Mini Bio (1) | Trivia (2) Overview (4) 6' 1" (1.85 m) Mini Bio (1) Franz Liszt, the virtuoso pianist and composer, was the most famous concert superstar of the 19th century. He was born in what was then the Austrian Empire. His father was Hungarian and his mother was Austrian. At age 6 he took music lessons from his father, Adam Liszt, who worked at the Court of Count Esterhazy, the main sponsor of Liszt's education and career. Liszt continued his music studies in Vienna under Carl Czerny and Antonio Salieri . In 1823, at the young age of 12, Liszt moved with his parents to Paris.

There he enjoyed an early friendship with Frédéric Chopin , but later they became rivals. At that time young Liszt began his career of a travelling virtuoso. He was adulated all-over Europe, from Ireland to Russia. His concert performances included his own compositions, regarded by many as the most difficult piano music ever written. His elegant, worldly manners in combination with diabolic cynicism and his impressive stage presence and supernatural virtuosity gave cause for rumors, that he must have made a deal with the Devil. His "Mephisto Waltz" depicts the Devil playing a Paganini-style violin on the piano. Franz Liszt became a friend of many important cultural figures of his time. He attended the Paris premiere of the "Symphonie Fantastique" by Hector Berlioz and the two composers became good friends. Liszt shared mutual respect with Mikhail Glinka . He also admired Aleksandr Borodin and promoted his first symphony for performances in Western Europe. Liszt was a friend of Richard Wagner , who was Liszt's son-in-law, until their differences led to cooler relationship in their later years. Liszt's influence on his fellow musicians was legendary.

He made superb piano transcriptions of symphonies, operas and large orchestral works of other composers, such as Ludwig van Beethoven , Hector Berlioz , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Richard Wagner . Operas and symphonies in Liszt's transcriptions became valuable repertoire of many pianists. Liszt lived and travelled with the married Countess Marie D'Agoult for 12 years and they had three children. In 1847, in Russia, Liszt met the beautiful and wealthy Princess Carolyne Wittgenstein, who soon left her husband for Liszt. In 1848 he became the Director of Music at the Court of Weimar. There, living with Carolyne in her mansion, he composed and revised his most important music, including the "Dream of Love", dedicated to Carolyne. The Church did not allow Liszt to marry Carolyne and also did not allow Carolyne to divorce Wittgenstein, with whom she had a daughter.

In 1861 Liszt settled in Rome where Carolyne bought a home and they tried to marry again, but the Church did not terminate Carolyne's marriage until her husband died in 1864. She then changed her mind and lived with unmarried Liszt, who was stuck in this painful situation until the end of his life. Under her influence, he became a religious man and in 1865 Pope admitted Liszt into Holy Orders and commissioned the church music. Since 1870s Liszt taught at the Budapest Conservatory and also participated with Wagner in several concert events in Bayreith. He spent his last years between Rome, Weimar, Budapest and Bayreuth, where he died in 1886. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Shelokhonov Trivia (2) He eloped to Switzerland with Countess Marie d'Agoult. Their idealistic relationship eventually disintegrated in 1844. Together, Liszt and d'Agoult had three children: daughters Blandine (born 1835) and Cosima (born 1837), and son Daniel (born 1839).

Daniel died in 1859 at the tender age of 21. Liszt would write "Two Episodes from Lenau's Faust" and "Les Morts" to honour his memory. In 1862, his daughter Blandine died in childbirth. His other daughter, Cosima, later left her husband to be with composer Richard Wagner , to whom she bore daughters Isolde in 1865 and Eva in 1867 and son Siegfried in 1869 before they finally married in 1870. Wagner, Richard | San Francisco Classical Voice San Francisco Classical Voice Wagner reinvented German opera and became one of the most influential composers of all time. His reforms affected opera composition, theatrical practice in general, and the development of the orchestra.

Vital Statistics Born: May 22, 1813, in Leipzig, Germany Died: February 13, 1883, in Venice Nationality: German Genre: Romantic Performed as: Conductor, pianist (privately) During the composer's lifetime: German nationalism became a political movement, resulting in the Frankfurt Parliament in 1848-49, along with insurrections in several states of the German Confederation. Although the Parliament was suppressed, the unification of Germany under Prussian leadership (and without Austria) occurred in 1871. Biographical Outline War baby, 1813: Richard Wagner, youngest of nine children, is born during the last days of the Napoleonic Wars, and the decisive Battle of Five Armies is fought at Leipzig when he is only five months old. His father, Friedrich, dies one month after the battle. Richard is raised by his mother Johanna and stepfather Ludwig Geyer, an actor and friend of the family. Geyer introduces Richard to the theater, but dies in 1821.

Tools of the trade, 1827-32: At his own request, Wagner is given composition lessons in 1828-31. He then enrolls at the University of Leipzig (1831) and takes lessons with the cantor of the St. Thomas Church. A devotee of Beethoven, Wagner composes a symphony in 1832. First gigs, 1833-37: Wagner's brother secures him a job as chorus master in Würzburg. Wagner composes his first two operas, Die Feen (The Fairies, 1833) and Das Liebesverbot (The Ban on Love, 1836), and takes on the music directorship of a traveling theater company (1834-36.) He marries Wilhelmine (Minna) Planer, an actor in the company, and follows her to Königsberg. Dream of Paris, 1837-39: Wagner directs the opera in Riga, Latvia. But, eying Paris, he begins work on a French grand opera, Rienzi.

With his contract in dispute at the opera house, Wagner decides to leave. Because of mounting debts, his passport has been impounded, so he, Minna, and their dog, cross the border secretly and, at the port of Pillau in Prussia, are stowed away on a small merchant ship and carried to London. Defeat in Paris, 1839-42: In September, Wagner arrives in Paris where he is received cordially by Giacomo Meyerbeer, the reigning champion of grand opera. Meyerbeer gives him letters of introduction to the heads of the Paris Opéra, and induces another theater to accept Liebesverbot for production. (The theater goes bankrupt before the performance occurs.) Meanwhile, Wagner ekes out a living making opera arrangements and writing music criticism. He finishes Rienzi in September 1840 and Der fliegende Höllander (The Flying Dutchman) a year later. Penniless, he is threatened with imprisonment for debt. With Meyerbeer’s help, Rienzi is accepted for performance in Dresden.

Breakthrough in Dresden, 1842-48: Rienzi’s premiere is an enormous success and leads to his appointment as second Kapellmeister to the King of Saxony in Dresden. In addition to his conducting duties, Wagner composes Tannhäuser (1845) and Lohengrin (1848). Revolution: In February 1848, a revolt in Paris brings down the French monarchy, touching off a wave of revolutionary fervor in German lands. Wagner devotes himself to the democratic-republican movement, supporting the revolutionaries in the May Uprising of 1849. When Dresden’s provisional government is crushed by Saxon and Prussian troops, Wagner escapes, with a false passport, first to Paris and then to Switzerland. In Zürich, he writes a series of famous essays. (See here for more.) Conceiving The Ring, 1849-51: Before leaving Dresden, Wagner had begun to draft an opera about Siegfried, the central hero of Germanic mythology.

But, influenced by his readings of older Scandinavian myths, the tragedies of Aeschylus, and contemporary philosophers, he instead expands the opera into a cycle of four, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Nibelung's Ring). He completes the librettos by 1853, and the first of the four operas, Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold), in September 1854. He completes Die Walküre (The Valkyrie) in March 1856, and two acts of Siegfried by September 1857. Patrons and lovers, 1850-59: With a warrant out for his arrest, Wagner is dependent on his friends for money. Eventually, a wealthy admirer, Otto Wesendonck pays Wagner's outstanding debts (nearly 10,000 francs worth), and sets him up, in 1857, in a small house near his new villa. Wagner and Otto's wife, Mathilde, begin a love affair (probably never consummated.) When Minna finds out, Wagner flees to Venice.

The infatuation with Mathilde, as well as his discovery of the Buddhist-influenced, renunciatory philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer, cause Wagner to set aside his Ring project and to write his great paean to Romantic love, Tristan und Isolde (completed in Lucerne, in 1859). His separation from Minna lasts until her death, in 1866. Another attempt at Paris, 1860-63: The personal intervention of Princess Pauline Metternich gets Tannhäuser accepted for production at the Paris Opéra. Politically motivated disruptions cause an indignant Wagner to withdraw the opera after the first three performances. A partial amnesty allows him to return to Germany, where he begins composing Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg). Indulging in a luxurious lifestyle in a suburb of Vienna, he racks up more debt, has to flee, and publishes an open request for financial aid.

Ludwig and Cosima, 1864-71: The 20-year-old king of Bavaria, Ludwig II, takes up Wagner’s cause, paying off his debts; giving him a large, luxuriously furnished house in Munich; and ordering the first production of Tristan (1865). At the same time, Wagner forms a liaison with Cosima von Bülow, the daughter of Franz Liszt and the wife of the conductor Hans von Bülow. Their daughter, Isolde, is born in 1865. The scandal and political objections to Wagner’s influence over the king cause Wagner to retreat, with Cosima, to a villa overlooking Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. There the composer finishes Meistersinger (1867) and Siegfried (1864-1871). He and Cosima have two more children, and after Hans grants a divorce, they marry, in 1870. The first performance of Meistersinger (Munich, 1868), is a triumph.

A festival theater, 1871-76: Wanting the full Ring to be performed at a national theater, Wagner sets about creating one in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth, funding it through the donations of supporters, Ludwig being the major donor. In 1874 the theater and Wagner's villa are finished, and in November, so is the score to Die Götterdämmerung (The Twilight of the Gods), the final opera of the Ring. The cycle is given three times in summer 1876, and is a major event. Final years, 1877-83: Wagner works on his last opera, Parsifal. In March 1882, he suffers a major heart attack. After the opera is produced that year, in the second Bayreuth Festival, Wagner journeys to Venice, where he dies of a second heart attack. Fun Facts Making an impression: Wagner was short, with a large head and blue eyes. In person, he was theatrical and possessed an ability to take people into his confidence. Mama’s boy: Wagner’s attachment to his mother and older siblings affected him in later life.

With the exception of Minna, Wagner was attracted to married or attached women. He was addicted to luxury items like soft silks and perfumes, which played havoc with his finances. In theory: Wagner's prose writings include his autobiography (My Life), which he dictated to Cosima in the 1860s, and numerous essays. The essays took up eight volumes, in the first English translated edition, and cover his views on art and politics in both practical and theoretical detail. The most important are the Zurich essays: Art and Revolution (1849) decries the influence of capitalist profit-taking in art. The Artwork of the Future (1849) presents his ideas for reunification of the arts in artworks responsive to the needs of “the people.” Opera and Drama details his ideas for a renewal of opera as drama-through-music. Jewishness in Music (1850) is an anti-Semitic pamphlet, which, in addition to attacking Meyerbeer and Mendelssohn, repeats many standard anti-Semitic lies and claims that Jewish cultural productions are inert. In some later writings, he also amplified the anti-Semitism he displayed in Jewishness in Music.

In practice: The auditorium of Wagner’s theater at Bayreuth was designed in a simple semicircle, like ancient Greek theaters, and without the box seats for the social elite. The orchestra pit was invented in Bayreuth, and is hidden from audience view by a convex wall, or lip, which also helps mix the orchestral sound. It was also in Bayreuth that the practice began of turning out the auditorium lights for the performance, resulting in the theater’s becoming a leader in stage lighting innovation. Wagnerism: After the premiere of Tristan, in 1865, Wagner became a celebrity; Wagner Societies sprang up, where his aesthetic theories and music were discussed. Young composers from all over Europe, from Richard Strauss and Gustav Mahler, to Claude Debussy and Giacomo Puccini and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, were influenced by Wagner’s harmonic usage, his through-composed approach to opera (in which individual “numbers” were subordinated to the entire progression of an act), and his incomparable orchestration. Many among Europe’s intellectual and cultural elite made “pilgrimages” to Bayreuth to hear Wagner.

Nationalism and narcissism: Having written a body of great works based on Germanic and Norse mythology, Wagner became extremely important to German nationalists who hailed his music dramas as the ne plus ultra of musical development and history. Wagner reveled in this position, and attacked alternative viewpoints. Johannes Brahms, in particular, was derided for adopting classical forms and procedures that Wagnerians had declared obsolete. The Bayreuth legacy: The story of the Bayreuth Festival is a saga in itself. Winifred Wagner, an Englishwoman who married Richard’s son, Siegfried, was an early and passionate admirer of Adolf Hitler, who was a Wagnerphile. Her service to Hitler included campaigning to secure his early release from prison after the Munich “Beer-Hall Putsch.” Bayreuth, under her leadership, became a Nazi shrine, frequently hosting the dictator and serving as a cultural propaganda arm for the party. As a result, the de-Nazification of Bayreuth, accomplished by Richard’s grandsons Wieland and Wolfgang, was particularly fraught, and the family has remained guarded and secretive about its history and management of the festival. Recommended Biography

Question: Richard Wagner was the father of which other famous composer?
Answer: Franz Liszt